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SA’s number one data bureau has added a new TransUnion product to help companies eliminate risk when it comes to choosing who they do business with.

As South Africa’s number one data bureau, pbVerify is constantly striving to put the power of knowledge and sound decision making in the hands of local businesses.

To this end, we have bolstered our TransUnion Business Report with Quick Vet 4 Business (QV4B) – an instant online commercial credit vetting tool that will allow businesses to quickly and comprehensively make informed decisions with regard to the customers they onboard.

The new business score gives businesses an accurate overview in one quick view as to what the status of a potential business or customer is, without them having to go through the lengthy process of investigation and manual vetting. Via just one automated online process, businesses can now identify who the profitable and low-risk customers are, and move swiftly forward.

The latest addition forms part of pbVerify’s expansive range of credit risk management products, which come with a top-notch support system. Businesses can access all Credit Bureau products via one secure, efficient online platform.

“This new score is going to make the decision-making process a lot easier and quicker for our customers, and give them total peace of mind that they have made the right credit decision,” says System admin-support manager Sean Bennett.

Seeding success

Understanding and implementing risk management is absolutely crucial when it comes to the success of your business. In today’s volatile financial milieu, no company can afford to enter business deals with businesses that have questionable financial footing.

Unfortunately, too many honest businesses fall prey to dishonest or irresponsible parties that don’t fulfil their end of the business deal, whether it’s failure to repay a loan, defaulting on payments or being dishonest about credit histories, and this ends up hurting profits, productivity and reputation.

pbVerify takes the risk factor out of your business decisions with its risk management tools. And it couldn’t be easier to sign up. After registering for free, you will have instant access to detailed financial information, credit histories, public trace record information and more. There’s no monthly fee – you only pay per search.

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SA’s number one data bureau has renewed its status as an official credit bureau, reinforcing customers’ trust in our services.

We are living in the Information Age, and there is an intense air of nervousness and reluctance when it comes to the sharing of personal information. And rightly so – given the proliferation of data breaches and brazen data misuse by marketing companies across the globe.

To this end, pbVerify recently cemented its status as an official credit bureau in terms of Section 43 of the National Credit Amendment Act, 19 of 2014, serving as a stamp of surety and our promise to you, our customer, that your data is safe with us.

In a nutshell, a credit bureau is as company that holds information on credit-active individuals, and uses that data to advise businesses and consumers as to their credit risks associated with a given application or transaction, using complex algorithms.

pbVerify’s status as an official credit bureau, in line with the National Credit Act, validates the fact that we are a professional business, bound by and compliant with all local and international data policy and privacy policy regulation. It also verifies that we have a failsafe disaster recovery system, so both ourselves as a service provider, and our customers, can have total peace of mind when it comes to the protection of the valuable data we deal with.

You can rest assured, your data – including identity data – is secure with us and will stay with us. We will never trade customer information with another company, nor share it for marketing purposes.

pbVerify offers a range of Credit Risk Management and Credit Check products for businesses and consumers.

For more information on pbVerify’s suite of B2B and B2C products click HERE.

To manage credit risk and for the sake of general financial health, it is vital that you have a grasp on your credit history. As a consumer, it is important that you understand your credit score and report, as well as the bodies that compile that information, i.e. credit bureaus.

The National Credit Regulator (NCR) describes a credit bureau as “A company that gathers information and updates each consumer’s credit history. A credit bureau creates a record of a consumer’s credit information indicating how the consumer manages his/her credit.

“The credit bureau supplies these records to credit providers, such as banks, retailers and other credit providing companies. The information indicates each consumer’s payment record. It is also used to detect fraud, corruption or theft.”

What rights do I have?

When it comes to the accessing of credit history by a credit provider, you have the right:

To be informed that the credit provider intends to report negative information on you to a credit bureau before the credit provider actually reports you.

To receive a copy of your credit record from a credit bureau when you request it.

To challenge information kept by the credit bureau if you are unhappy with the information.

For your information to be kept confidential, and for your information to be used only for purposes allowed by the National Credit Act.

Click HERE to learn more about credit bureaus and the National Credit Act.

An easy-to-use set of tools for developers, the API Development Portal offers a library of API integration documents and general information, as well as means to test each of the API services we offer.

The main function of the interface is to allow API customers to test the RESTful/JSON services they have access to, giving developers access to online documentation and an instant understanding of how to integrate, and to see the JSON responses and payloads they will get from each Web service. Using pbVerify’s new Development Portal, customers can now:

Import all RESTful/JSON services into postman with pbVerify’s Swagger file.

View all extended Web services documentation.

View Terms and Conditions.

Directly contact Development support.

The face of pbVerify’s Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) program, the API Development Portal aims to provide a top-class developer experience for our Web services.

NOTE: API tools are currently only available for REST/JSON services. Certain pbVerify products, such as Consumer Credit Check and Bank Code Verification are still in our SOAP service. Documentation for these will need to be obtained from pbVerify’s support service.

KYC, a risk-based assessment of customers (individuals and businesses), is an integral part of FICA which makes it incumbent on accountable institutions to carry out extensive due diligence on all financial services applicants.

This typically involves a list of documents, including minimum requirements such as proof of residence and proof of identification for individuals; and evidence of shareholding, director information and company history for businesses (either originals, or sighted by an institution employee).

Steeped in red tape and paper documents, the manual KYC process has long been the bane of institutions and potential customers alike. Not only is it costly and time-consuming, it can be incredibly frustrating, given South Africans’ unique circumstances.

Moonstone, a Stellenbosch-based independent support network for financial service providers, cites residential transience and “an inefficient postal service” as aggravating factors in the KYC process.

Applicant’s address (residential information) is verified against the SACRRA database, based on two parameters set by the credit provider, i.e. over what period – 3, 6, 12, 24 or 36 months; and how many address matches required, obtained from other credit providers.

If the Digital KYC API returns the applicant’s address data as matching the database, as per credit provider’s criteria, the system automatically approves the KYC process.

The system sends a response to the compliance department, indicating whether or not the consumer is FICA compliant.

API differentiator

What sets pbVerify’s KYC API apart from other digital KYC verification products on the market, is the advanced method is uses to not only effectively, but to irrefutably verify applicants’ information.

Our API uses geospatial technology, as well as multi-paradigm geodistance algorithms, to determine and compare address data between data received from applicants, and data on file from at least one hundred registered credit providers across South Africa.

Essentially, our technology loops through credit provider data to find similar address matches, within the said specified time parameter (3 to 36 months), within a few metres of the pinned geolocation of the applicant’s input.

One of the biggest challenges in South Africa when it comes to address verification by credit providers, is the fact that many citizens live in townships and townhouse setups, where the address does not conform to the standard street address format.

To overcome this challenge, pbVerify’s algorithm pinpoints the applicant’s address via geospatial location, strips all anomalies and/or conflicting information from the address, and finds other credit providers that have similar address details. Only if these are also within a few metres of the applicant’s original input, will the API accept the address and report the credit provider sources where it was found.

In other words, only if enough data exists to satisfy your unique KYC requirement-settings, will the API return positive results, together with the source of the data matches, e.g. Vodacom, Edgars, FNB Home Loans, etc.

Apart from the immediately evident advantages of replacing manual with digital – primarily time and cost savings – pbVerify’s Digital KYC API underpins POPI (Protection of Personal Information) Act compliance, it adds another dimension in terms of security, and it removes the probability of human error.

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We have spread our wings and taken to international shores…introducing our new, fresh look.

As a South African technology team with a spirit of innovation at the heart of our being, change and growth are two things we at SignFlow prize very highly.

Which is why we are so excited to announce that SignFlow has spread its wings, recently journeying beyond the African continent, into Europe, the United Kingdom and the Americas.

As an embodiment of this globalisation, we have decided to consolidate our local and international branding, which goes hand in hand with a fresh new look – including an awesome new website and epic new logo…

Introducing SigniFlow

The international offering of SignFlow (.co.za) is called SigniFlow (.com), which – as of May 2018 – is officially the successor to SignFlow.

While all old and existing marketing and training material and other content will still be branded as SignFlow – along with the old logo and look – it all remains 100% relevant.

SignFlow has been around for a few years, having made indelible footprints in cyber space, so the transition to SigniFlow is going to take some time. Our focus right now is on all of our branding going forward, so all new material and content will be branded SigniFlow.

What does this mean for you?

Well, to cite Coca-Cola, “Brand new look. Same great taste.”

SigniFlow, like SignFlow, is still the same world-class, local solution it has always been – just with a facelift. Think of it as a better looking version of the same great product.

SigniFlow is still Proudly South African. Nothing in terms of ownership of SignFlow has changed. SigniFlow – the new, fresh-faced SignFlow – is a 100% South African-owned product.

SigniFlow is also proudly protective of what matters most our customers: sensitive data. In terms of the storage of and access to your valuable files and data, fear not – this, too, remains unchanged. Your files are exactly where they were before, and still just as safe and secure as they have always been, in our South African data centres.

Finally, putting the cherry on top of this exciting transformation, the South African SigniFlow system is currently being revamped, and will be updated with the release of SigniFlow v4.0 during the third quarter of 2018.

Exciting times ahead, indeed. Onward and upward!

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or for more information on 010 300 4899 or support@signflow.co.za.

As of today, 25 May 2018, penalties will begin rolling in for organisations that have not yet taken the necessary steps to ensure they are compliant with this restructured – and considerably more stringent – set of data protection regulations.

The GDPR is a regulation borne out of the European Parliament, Council of the European Union and European Commission’s joint intent to strengthen and unify data protection for EU citizens.

But just because the GDPR is an EU regulation, South African organisations are by no means off the hook. On the contrary, experts warn, local companies need to take the GDPR – positioned as one of the most significant changes in data privacy regulation in 20 years – very seriously.

The inescapable fact is, any South African company that handles personal data connected to the EU has to comply with the GDPR, and failure to do so will be met with the same major consequences EU organisations face for non-compliance.

Far-reaching forces

Over recent decades, not only has personal data has become an increasingly important corporate asset that needs to be handled with extreme care, it has also become geographically agnostic. This means that, today more than ever, with the exponential growth of data propagated across borders, organisations globally need to take a staunch and unified approach to guarding it.

South African organisations, big or small, are no different – and the GDPR is not the only government-led product of this hugely digital age, nor will it be the last, it is merely the latest one to be enforced.

Leilani Smit, compliance professional at Smit Compliance (Pty) Ltd, notes that the GDPR applies to any local organisation that holds or processes data on EU citizens, regardless of the location of its head office. “This includes companies that have employees in the EU, sell or market products or services in the EU, or partner with EU organisations.”

Leon van der Merwe, head of digital at customer communication firm PBSA and director of local digital signature and workflow solution SignFlow, adds that any South African entity controlling or processing data relating to EU citizens is affected by the GDPR. “Controlling refers to any organisation that states why and how data is processed, while a processor is any party doing the actual processing of the data, whether based in the EU, or not.”

World Wide Worx MD, Arthur Goldstuck, says the effects of the GDPR will be far-reaching due to the fact that the EU is SA’s biggest trade partner. “[On top of this], any company that does business with a company that has to comply with GDPR, will also have to comply, to ensure the client is in compliance.”

GDPR vs POPI

Fortunately for SA, details around the country’s own local version of data protection policy – the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act – have been highly publicised since 2013, and many companies will already be familiar – some even largely compliant – with what is expected of them in terms of data protection.

Summing up SA’s POPI Act, Michalson’s says: “Essentially, the purpose of [POPI] is to protect people from harm by protecting their personal information. To stop their money being stolen, to stop their identity being stolen, and generally to protect their privacy, which is a fundamental human right.”

Although – unlike the GDPR – it is still not known when POPI will come into effect, what is known is that companies will have a one-year transitional phase in which to comply once POPI’s implementation date is made public.

Smit says, should a local company already be compliant with international legislation such as GDPR, the implementation of policies to comply with POPI “should be a breeze and not require anything other than normal company practices and procedures”.

Van der Merwe says POPI and GDPR are similar in that both are intended to strengthen the protection of individuals’ personal information and privacy, and it is precisely this element – intention – that is key here, says Goldstuck.

The high price of non-compliance

Another area in which both sets of rules are similar, is in the hefty fines that come with non-compliance.

In a nutshell: breach rules laid out in the POPI Act, and face a R10 million fine and/or a jail sentence; fail to comply with the GDPR’s regulations, and be prepared to be slapped with a fine of up to €20 million (about R290 million) – or 4% of annual sales (whichever is greater).

Although possibly the biggest concern for companies, Smit notes that financial implications are not the only implications they should be worried about. “Not only can non-compliance result in fines and penalties set by the legislation itself, but [the] reputational damage of not processing information correctly, can often be more damaging that the initial penalty itself.”

It is this high price of non-compliance IT and legal experts hope will drive South African companies to do the right thing – not only for themselves, but ultimately for their customers – and fervently strive to meet GDPR compliance criteria.

Consumer-centric control

Van der Merwe says it is all about the consumer. “Both GDPR and POPI were ultimately created to protect the consumer’s privacy. We are all someone’s consumer, and even small businesses owners need to think carefully and logically about areas in their business where personal information is processed or stored, and what vulnerabilities may exist in their processes.

“For instance, we all receive CVs that contain heaps of personal and even sensitive information. Often, after a host of interviews, only the person’s CV that is employed, is securely transferred to a digital or physical vault in HR. What happens to the rest of the CVs that did not make it? It is the responsibility of any business to have policies and procedures to timeously and responsibly destroy such information. Simply identifying these vulnerabilities and implementing logical measures to manage them, is a good start for any size business.

“GDPR is a good thing that could be very bad news for companies, if they fail to provide evidentiary and auditable processes and adequate IT security to protect personal data.”

Goldstuck adds that it is not only important, but essential, that South African companies have a global view on data protection. “Something as simple as having a website hosted on an international platform can make a company liable to sanction under GDPR.”

Teaming up with tech

When it comes to local companies complying with the seemingly daunting and complicated GDPR in a relatively pain-free way, experts agree technology will be key. Software systems that offer automation, content management, enterprise resource planning and accounting, among others, will become a lifeline for many companies in their quest to comply.

Van der Merwe says existing paper-based processes and antiquated electronic systems that were created prior to factors such as the GDPR and POPI, pose major risks of contravening their laws and directives. “It is all about how businesses – and governments themselves – are going to align their physical and data processing practices with the new requirements and legislation. New regulations that enforce concepts such as the right to be forgotten pose major challenges if not considered in the process from the outset.”

Goldstuck says, while the data protection laws necessitate considerable changes in the ways businesses operate and interact with customers, good compliance systems will provide most of the safeguards they need.

“Businesses will have to get permission for almost every interaction with customers, they will have to become more discerning in what information they require from customers, and they will have to institute strict compliance systems to ensure they do not fall foul of these laws. As a result, compliance officers, CIOs and CTOs will have more direct roles to play in customer strategy.”

Don’t delay

Although not yet enforceable, the commencement date for POPI has been looming large on the horizon for some time now, with many expecting it by the end of 2018.

Despite this, say experts, many organisations are far from being ready. Goldstuck says: “Most large businesses have geared themselves up to comply with POPI, although many have not put this gearing up into effect. However, there is also an impression that many companies are simply not bothering until they are forced.”

Forrester’s 2018 predictions indicate that a whopping 80% of firms will not comply with GDPR regulations by May this year.

This has to change – and fast – says Smit. “Businesses can no longer just take a backseat and hope this will pass by or fly over. Active steps will have to be taken in an organisation, for instance staff training, risk assessments and creating an ethical culture within an organisation, specifically with regards to processing personal information.”

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Credit-granting companies are urged to continue to carry out stringent checks on prospective lenders, following a recent ruling that relaxes affordability assessment requirements.

While many local retailers have lauded a recent High Court ruling that binned a legal clause requiring lenders to demand payslips and financial statements from credit applicants, the move has been met with raised eyebrows from SA’s credit regulator – which is concerned it may lead to reckless lending.

Indeed now more than ever, in light of the historic ruling, it is worth reiterating how vital it is for credit lending – in whatever form – to be approached with caution. If you are a business owner that deals with individuals or other businesses, the importance of carrying out thorough checks when assessing customers’ credit status cannot be stressed enough.

While it is unquestionably important for businesses to have customers, financially vulnerable customers only spell trouble – both for your company’s bottom line and the customer, who you as a business should be protecting.

Court ruling

On March 16 this year, the Western Cape High Court made a ruling that binned the clause of the National Credit Regulations that, since 2015, had made it compulsory for credit lenders to acquire payslips and financial statements from prospective borrowers before granting credit.

The judgment applies to all forms of credit lending, from store credit to microloans.

Prior to the recent ruling, subsection 23 A(4) of the National Credit Regulations required credit providers to obtain three recent payslips or bank statements as proof of income from applicants who were permanently employed – and three recent documented proofs of income or bank statements from those who did not receive a salary. If the applicant could not provide proof of income, credit providers had to then get three recent bank or financial statements from them (see page 18 of the Government Gazette, 13 March 2015).

While affordability assessments have always been a requirement of the National Credit Act (NCA), prior to the more stringent requirements put in place in 2015, credit providers were allowed to decide on their own means of carrying these out.

This year’s Western Cape High Court ruling – spurred on by applications by Truworths, the Foschini Group and the Mr Price Group – essentially returns the affordability assessment subsection of the NCA back to its former, more moderate, self.

The three retailers brought the case against the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Credit Regulator (NCR) because they claimed the said affordability assessment regulation adversely affected their businesses.

Continue with caution

However, the NCR, which believes an important tool in the fight against reckless lending and borrowing has been removed, is not happy with the ruling, to the extent it is considering an appeal.

The Credit Ombud, meanwhile, has also reportedly greeted the ruling with caution.

News site iol cites NCR company secretary, Lesiba Mashapa, urging credit providers to continue to carry out thorough credit checks despite the ruling: “We appeal to credit providers to continue to apply the income verification standards set by the regulations to protect themselves and consumers from reckless lending and borrowing.”

While the credit regulations in terms of affordability assessments have been significantly relaxed, Section 81 of the NCA, which requires credit providers to take “reasonable steps” to assess consumers’ financial stability before granting credit, remains in force.

Mashapa has urged credit providers to proceed with caution, and continue to carry out stringent credit checks on prospective customers. “[Credit providers] should request consumers to produce proof of income.”

pbVerify offers a range of B2B and B2C Credit Risk Management tools for any size business in South Africa that grants credit. For more information visit our products page HERE.